EDITORIAL – Council must stop shutting down the public on AAP issue
(Coun. Margot Middleton, second from left. Image: Mel Rothenburger)
An editorial by Mel Rothenburger.
OBVIOUSLY, the alternative approval process being used for a pair of multi-million-dollar infrastructure projects is not open for discussion around the City council table. At least not by members of the public, unless council deems to put it on the agenda.
At this week’s regular meeting of the council, a resident representing the Seniors Tin Cup group tried, under the Public Inquiries section of the agenda, to ask questions about the AAP. Coun. Margot Middleton quickly stepped in with a point of order. The AAP was not on the agenda, she said, and therefore not open to questions from the public at the meeting.
The resident tried again, and again, and Middleton just kept on interrupting with her point of order. Finally, the resident gave up and said she’d write a letter. Others received similar treatment,
Middleton and the rest of council need to get their priorities straight. Kamloops electors are being asked to support borrowing for $275 million worth of projects that include a new ice arena and a performing arts centre. Council has chosen the AAP — a reverse onus type of assent — to get borrowing authority rather than going to referendum.
People have a right to ask questions about any aspect of the proposals. Council should want to hear those questions and provide answers. In fact, council has a duty to do so.
It sounds doubtful that there will be more open houses on the projects, so Council meetings are an excellent opportunity for people to ask questions, to seek clarification on how City Hall wants to spend their tax money.
But along comes someone with questions, and instead of being welcomed and engaged, gets the bum’s rush. Quite candidly, it’s a ridiculous and disappointing attitude coming from a councillor who once showed promise.
Not only that, but it’s counter-productive to council’s support of the projects. Such an attitude raises resentment against the plan and, by not answering questions, works against understanding of them. When people don’t understand something, they resist it.
And shouldn’t councillors be doing their utmost to get a handle on what people’s concerns are?
So here’s what council should do: simply make an exception to its hallowed “agenda items only” to allow any and all questions about the projects at least until the end of the AAP period.
They can do it either via a motion, or simply let it happen organically. It’s that simple.
Mel Rothenburger is a former regular contributor to CFJC-TV and CBC radio, publishes the ArmchairMayor.ca opinion website, and is a recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award, and a Webster Foundation Commentator of the Year finalist. He has served as mayor of Kamloops, school board chair and TNRD director, and is a retired daily newspaper editor. He can be reached at mrothenburger@armchairmayor.ca.
ArmchairMayor.ca 
It was NOT on the agenda this time. It WAS on the agenda 2 weeks ago at the previous council meeting – the public could have asked their questions then.
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When asking taxpayers to approve a multi-generational $275 million loan, especially since Council did not send out a city-wide mailout notifying residents about the AAP, Council should allow questions regardless of whether a discussion of the APP or Build Kamloops is on the agenda. Not allowing questions under these circumstances makes the councillors look like a bunch of tyrants.
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Yes, Bronwen, if any of the “gang of 8” decide to run for office in the next municipal election, the dynamics of interaction will be very, very different.
From the fiasco of St. Patrick’s Day to the bullying of a “little old lady who was wearing a purple sweater and carrying a walking stick”, to the muzzling of citizens who want to be informed of such an important issue of the borrowing of multi millions of dollars, the council chambers resembles anything but a place democracy.
Shall we next witness a guest appearance by “Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine”?
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Wouldn’t it be nice to get a weekly tally of the no votes?
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$275million may seem like peanuts to the exalted trough-gobblers in council chambers, but it’s a huge debt. This figure is likely to rise to a $third of a billion by the time equipment, maintenance and staffing are factored in.
Telling taxpayers to “get their heads out of the weeds”(Neustaeter), shutting down questions (Middleton) and rushing through an AAP process based on the same principle as negative billing is ample proof that our councillors have little respect for those who elected them.
Here’s another question that won’t be answered: How is it that Kelowna is building a PAC with more seating capacity at a much lower ($87.3 million) cost to taxpayers?
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I watched it all. If citizens want to come to council with questions, they need to do their part by asking in a respectful manner and acting in a respectful way. The gallery acts like they are in Rome, watching gladiators in a blood-thirst. Show some respect, you’ll get a respectful anwer. The usual group of 4-5 who show up every meeting show zero respect.
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Council is there to answer questions and serve the citizens. It’s not there to demand respect as a condition of answering questions. Council disrespects the community all the time. They are certainly not in any position to demand respect as an excuse to ignore their duty to the electorate. Asking a question is disrespectful? Come on…
Should people conduct themselves with respect? Yes. Does council have a right to deny answering questions should an individual councillor feel a citizen has asked a question in a manner they dislike? No.
Cant you see that this approach is ripe for abuse? Imagine every question the council doesn’t want to respond to is deemed a disrespectful question, with the result being the question is not answered. Council is quite happy allowing softball questions when they’re not on the agenda, as witnessed many many times with no “point of order” shenanigans. Council is actually using procedural rules to avoid accountability and avoid performing their duty.
Being an elected official is not an easy job. But no one forced anyone on council to do it. They chose this. They need to remember who they work for and stop hiding and putting up barriers.
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Here’s a transcript. I can’t see how Ms. Czyzewski was disrespectful. In fact, I think it’s disrespectful of council to refuse to discuss the AAP with a taxpayer.
Mayor: We now move into Public Enquiries on matters related to today’s agenda, if we have anyone in the gallery who would like to speak about anything on the agenda today.
DC: Hi, my name’s Diane Czyzewski and I’m with Tin Cup Kamloops. The last meeting I attended I stood up to speak, and only received a response concerning the cancer centre. None of the other issues I asked about received any response so I’m asking again. I had suggested the need for a senior subdivision similar to Sun Rivers. Seniors need a neighbourhood where they can feel safe. Seniors are one-third of population . . .
Middleton (interrupting): Mr. Mayor, Mr. Mayor, Point of Order, I don’t believe any of this is on today’s agenda.
DC: It was carried over because last time I attended the meeting I didn’t get any answers.
Middleton: That’s not how public enquiries work. She can bring her points forward at another time when something related to this is on the agenda
Mayor: is there anything, Corporate Officer, you can see that is on the agenda today at all?
CO Mazzotta: Mayor Hamer-Jackson, not that I’m aware of.
Mayor: It looks like you’re not allowed to speak today.
DC: Can I speak about the AAP?
Middleton: Those items are not on the agenda.
Mayor: Just one sec. I believe that we’re uh . . . yes, 11.1 Select committee on agenda—it’s all involved with the Build Kamloops select committee—would have something to do with that.
Middleton (interrupting): Point of Order Your Honour. That’s a reach. This is just a notice about upcoming meeting, not an item on the agenda that is up for discussion or vote. I move there’s nothing on the agenda today that’s related to that.
Mayor: Due to short time frame that the AAP . . …
Middleton (interrupting): Point of Order Your Honour, the AAP is not on the agenda.
Mayor: I’m asking the question why it would not be.
Middleton: It’s not on agenda, Your Honour.
Mayor: Well apparently either you are going to get shut down or I’m going to get shut down. So if you can find it on the agenda somewhere that would be . . . I believe that when we’re talking about the Build Kamloops Select Committee which this all came from, I believe that it is part of the agenda
DC: I would think as a taxpayer Build Kamloops . . .
Middleton (interrupting): Point of Order. The AAP is not on agenda
DC: That’s ok, I’ll write a letter
Mayor: OK. Thank you. You can always send an email to citycouncil@kamloops.ca and then we all get it. The actual main job of the Deputy Mayor is to respond or to send to whatever dept.
DC: May I request responses from everybody?
Mayor: You could. You can actually email to councillors individually also. There’s no law against that is there?
CO Mazzotta: There’s no law against it. But then each individual councillor would have their own discussion about how they would respond.
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For one I now will send in (despite an earlier reluctance) both AAPs signed copies of my opposition to not necessarily the buildings but mostly against this most absurd council under McCorkell’s guidance.
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Councillor Middleton may have a case of political myopia. For anyone who might believe in statistics, I would say the chances of that particular woman voting for Candidate Margot in the next municipal election is zero percent.
Be careful drawing the ire of a senior citizen who has time on his or her hands, some grey matter between the ears and can utilize resources that are available.
If seniors decide to join with others who have already photocopied the documentation provided by the City for the AAP, perhaps there is the impetus to ensure friends and neighbours are supplied with the necessary paperwork to vote against the borrowing of huge amounts of money for the projects. It’s a great way to network with neighbours, fellow residents in retirement homes etc.
Councillor Middleton might be surprised at what a genuine backfire sounds like after having embarrassed a citizen who simply wanted to ask a question.
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People should be outraged at the blatant and continued anti-democratic actions of council, including the resistance to public questions.
This all seems so blatantly designed to shield council from criticism and accountability. What harm would there have been to answer the question the woman wanted to pose? Is council so busy with back patting that it can’t listen to a 30 second question from the public?
I understand the need to not entertain outlandish queries from the public, but council clearly does not understand at whose pleasure they serve under – the citizens of this community.
The stench of arrogance from the Hateful 8 can be smelled from Westsyde to Aberdeen.
There is one member of council interested in listening and responding to the public. It’s not hard to understand who that is.
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